The present invention relates generally to systems that facilitate learning, and more particularly to a system including a device and method that enable a beginner to more readily learn multiple mathematical principles utilizing the device.
A lever is a rigid object that is used with an appropriate fulcrum or pivot point to multiply the mechanical force (effort) that can be applied to another object (load). Archimedes, a Greek mathematician, physicist, engineer, inventor, and astronomer, purportedly said: “Give me a lever long enough and a fulcrum on which to place it, and I shall move the world.” Archimedes explained the principal of how a lever works and formulated the law of the lever, which states that two objects placed on a lever will be in equilibrium when the product of the distance from the fulcrum and the weight of the first object is equal to the product of the distance from the fulcrum and the weight of the second object. This is expressed in the mathematical equation d1W1=d2W2, where d1 and d2 are the distances from the fulcrum and W1 and W2 are the weights of the objects.
Archimedes proved the law of the lever, starting with three assumptions:
1. Equal weights at equal distances from the fulcrum balance. Equal weights at unequal distance from the fulcrum do not balance, but the weight at the greater distance will tilt its end of the lever down.
2. If, when two weights balance, an additional weight is added to one of the weights, the two weights no longer balance. The side holding the weight that was increased goes down.
3. If, when two weights balance, some of the weight is taken away from one of the weights, the two weights no longer balance. The side holding the weight at was not changed goes down.
The fulcrum is the support about which a lever pivots. An example of a fulcrum is the support for a see-saw that is positioned somewhere near the middle. The opposing ends of a see-saw go up and down as they pivot on the fulcrum. To successfully operate a see-saw, persons of approximately equal weight are positioned at approximately equal distances from the fulcrum. When two people of unequal weights use a see-saw, the heavier person is positioned closer to the fulcrum to create an equilibrium condition.
The present invention uses the law of levers to provide a mathematical teaching device that assists students in learning multiplication, division, addition and subtraction. The visual feedback provided by the lever allows students to immediately know if they have correctly positioned the weight to achieve equilibrium. By incorporating aspects of a game, the mathematical teaching device maintains the interest of students and improves their mathematical skills.